Destinations known | ‘Revenge travel’ is a silly term to describe tourism comeback trend in 2022. What’s next – ‘reprisal arrivals’?
- The travel media is fond of buzzwords, but at least ones like ‘staycation’ and ‘bleasure’ fairly accurately define something that is actually happening
- ‘Revenge travel’ is vague and inaccurate; more to the point, we already have adequate language to describe the anticipated release of pent-up demand
“Revenge travel”; it’s a media buzzword – buzzterm? – that Destinations Known is hearing more and more as the world reopens to travellers following Covid-19 lockdowns and lockouts. But is it a real thing? Does it actually mean anything?
The idea conveyed is fairly easy to grasp – with travel having been severely restricted for two years, it’s assumed there is an enormous amount of pent-up demand from people who wish to reunite with family and friends, get back to ticking off items on their bucket list or start spending all the money that accumulated while they waited at home for the pandemic to pass.
But who or what is the revenge being taken out on? When Hongkongers begin rushing back to Bali, Phuket and Boracay, who will suffer? (No facetious answers, please.)
Will the revenge be wrought on the Covid-19 virus? Mr Delta and Mrs Omicron are hardly likely to care. Will the authorities who imposed the lockdowns be in the crosshairs? Most, if not all, of them will welcome the return of travel and the income it generates for their economies. The residents of once-overburdened cities such as Kyoto, Venice and Barcelona may fear the return of the tourist hordes, but that’s not what is meant by “revenge tourism”.
And how should those who believe revenge is a dish best served cold interpret the term; that all that demand should remain pent up for a good few years yet?